The restaurant perched above the Sonoran Desert at Eagle Mountain has changed hands. VU Bistro's old space at 14815 E. Shea Blvd. is now Trilogy at Eagle Mountain, a seafood restaurant and wine bar. It's run by chef Richard Pelz and Advanced Sommelier Dennis Payne. For anyone in Scottsdale Mountain, it's a short drive east on Shea. For the first time, this room is putting its kitchen and cellar ahead of its view.
That's a real change for this address. The last time the space was reinvented, the view was the whole plan.
The room that ran on its patio
In May 2020, VU Bistro was featured on the second season of Netflix's "Restaurant on the Edge." On that show, restaurateur Nick Liberato helps restaurants in scenic locations rework their concepts around local culture. The Fountain Hills Times reported that owner Heidi Hake said hers was the first restaurant in the continental U.S. chosen for the series.
Hake was clear in that same Fountain Hills Times story about what kept the business going. "Our patio that provides stunning views of the Phoenix landscape has always been our saving grace," she told the paper. "Everyone who visits takes pictures and likes to spend time enjoying their surroundings."
The Netflix makeover leaned into that setting. The paper reported that the crew replaced gray walls, black sheer curtains and crystal black chandeliers with an Arizona look: new paint, new light fixtures, cow print fabrics and saddle-shaped chairs. The menu moved to Southwestern food made with ingredients from local farmers, plus Arizona beer, sangria and margaritas. In short, the 2020 version told the story of the place through its décor and its regional menu, and the patio did the rest.
No source we found gives a date or a reason for VU's closing. We also couldn't confirm whether another tenant used the space between VU and Trilogy. The old vubistro.com domain is now listed for sale.
What Trilogy put at the center instead
Trilogy's pitch starts with two people, not the décor. The Fountain Hills Times introduced the restaurant through its partners, chef Richard E. Pelz and sommelier and general manager Dennis Payne. The paper said the name comes from the pair's focus on a trio of food, wine and culture.
The résumés explain that framing. A 2023 profile on eHotelier reported that Pelz had been named property executive chef at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort after working as chef de cuisine at Ember. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America and cooked at Le Louis XV, Alinea, and Bottega and Redd in Napa Valley. Trilogy's own wine page says Payne has more than 30 years in wine, sales and service. His Valley experience includes Different Pointe of View, Mancuso's, Ruth's Chris and Fox Restaurant Concepts.
The two versions of the room look like this side by side:
| VU Bistro after the 2020 makeover | Trilogy at Eagle Mountain, fall 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Menu focus | Southwestern, locally sourced | Global seafood and American fare |
| Drinks | Arizona beer, sangria, margaritas | Curated wine cellar, advanced sommelier |
| Main design story | Arizona-themed décor | Chef and wine partners |
| The view | "Saving grace" | Part of the pitch, patio timing unclear |
The view still matters. Trilogy's site calls the restaurant elevated above the Sonoran Desert, with desert and mountain views.
What's on the menu, and what it costs
The current dinner menu starts with Salt Spring mussels at $18, oysters, and bluefin tuna tartare at $26. Entrées include Hokkaido scallops at $52 and filet mignon at $59. A chicken dish is $42 and a mushroom dish is $39. Listed entrées run from $38 to $59. OpenTable puts the restaurant in its "$50 and over" price band and lists the dining style as casual elegant and the dress code as smart casual.
Those prices match the new focus. A kitchen built around Hokkaido scallops and a sommelier-run cellar is meant to carry the evening on its own.
The hours, and the brunch on the calendar
According to the announcement from the Village at Towne Center HOA, Trilogy is open:
- Tuesday through Thursday: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m., with the bar open until 10:30 p.m.
- Sunday brunch: begins Sunday, Oct. 25, and runs until Mother's Day
OpenTable's listing also shows happy hour Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 5 p.m.
Today is Oct. 11, so the first Sunday brunch is two weekends away. Running brunch from late October to Mother's Day puts it in the cooler months, when sitting outside in the late morning is comfortable again.
The patio is the part still catching up
This is where the view takes a back seat for now. The HOA announcement said Trilogy's patio would open Tuesday, Sept. 1. But an OpenTable reviewer writing about a visit around Oct. 9 said the deck wasn't open that night and that service started slowly. OpenTable still lists patio and outdoor dining among the restaurant's features.
So the outdoor space VU's owner called the restaurant's saving grace is the one feature whose status the sources disagree on. For a table outside, it makes sense to call ahead and ask.
Diners seem to be enjoying the inside. As of Oct. 11, 2026, Trilogy's OpenTable page showed a 4.5 rating from 75 reviews. The page's summary highlights the food, the wine, the views, the bluefin tuna and the seared scallops. One verified diner who ate there Oct. 3 called it a five-week-old restaurant that was getting better, and also said it was expensive. Another recent reviewer praised the oysters, the wine list and the friendly service.
The Fountain Hills Times announced an Aug. 20 opening. The "five-week-old" comment from an Oct. 3 diner points to service starting around late August, but we couldn't confirm the exact first night.
Not to be confused with The Grille
Eagle Mountain has two places to eat, and they're easy to mix up. Eagle Mountain Golf Club runs The Grille, open daily for breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks. It's at the club's own address, 14915 East Eagle Mountain Parkway. Trilogy is the evening restaurant at 14815 E. Shea Blvd., which the HOA announcement places in the Fry's center. The Grille covers mornings and midday, and Trilogy covers dinner and Sunday brunch.
Pairing dinner with the fall calendar farther east
Outside of Sunday brunch, Trilogy serves dinner only, so it pairs easily with evening events in Fountain Hills, a few more minutes east on Shea. That drive just improved. On Sept. 28, 2026, Fountain Hills opened a third eastbound lane on Shea between Palisades Boulevard and Fountain Hills Boulevard. Construction began in February, and the Town says the lane opened earlier than planned. The Town's announcement says 70% of the project was paid for through the Maricopa Association of Governments' Proposition 400 program and 30% by the Town.
Upcoming events that fit around a Trilogy reservation:
- Third-Thursday concerts, starting Oct. 15. These are free and run 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Centennial Pavilion, 13001 N. La Montana Drive, monthly through March 2027. Food vendors include Batchelor's Pad BBQ and Snowbird Ice Cream, according to the Town of Fountain Hills. Trilogy is open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays, so dinner can come before or after the music.
- Fest in the Hills, Nov. 7. The music festival's second year runs 5 to 10 p.m. at Fountain Park, according to the Fountain Hills Times.
- Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts, Nov. 13 to 15. It's held downtown, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 14 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 15, according to the Fountain Hills Times. Its Friday and Saturday dates line up with Trilogy's later closing time.
- Turkey Trot, Nov. 26. The 36th annual Thanksgiving morning race has a timed 5K and a 1.5-mile walk. It starts at 7:15 a.m. on the Avenue of the Fountains, and preregistration is required, per the Town.
Between the third-Thursday concerts, Trilogy's Thursday hours and the brunch launch, the room above the desert at 14815 E. Shea has a full fall schedule. The patio is the main thing still to confirm.
At Daynes Development, we spend our days figuring out what an older space still has going for it and how to rework it without losing that. If you're weighing the same question about a Scottsdale Mountain home, whether to sell as-is or renovate around its best features first, we'd be glad to walk through it with you. Contact Us.
